Prep for this trip started at the family Christmas party last December. My cousin's husband is an accomplished poker player, and offered to coach me. Sure, though I had zero time during the winter to devote to poker, or improving. No open spots on my calendar until the first two weeks of July. He suggested a couple books by Ed Miller, Playing the Player, and Reading Hands. I downloaded both, with the intention of starting my prep sometime mid May.

In addition to reading the Miller books, prep included re-watching all seven seasons of High Stakes Poker ( I never tire of watching Dwan bluff first Eastgate, then Greenstein off better hands w QT, on the Q22 board. Best poker hand ever ), some hours of online micro ( forced, dislike online ), a couple afternoons in the only local game ( 1-2 w 1k buy-in. tough game. I rarely play ), four afternoons at the Edgewater 1-2, in Vancouver, and emailing my coach questions from play.

Also updated my wardrobe in anticipation of Vegas with a trip to Value Village. I purchased four astonishingly ugly shirts. Short-sleeve, button up silks with colour combos that say middle-aged guy on vacation as loudly as possible. One was so gross, I actually never wore it out of the closet. Another was a confused red, white and blue creation, which I proudly donned to help celebrate the Fourth. I also bought three power-blue golf shirts, when I wanted to project the 'golf-guy playing poker' vibe. I was paid the highest of compliments when a local player shifted to the seat next to me after a couple hours of playing and said, " You sat down and right away started playing completely against type. "

I am strictly a cash game player, but enjoy being in Vegas during the WSOP. The rooms are full, and game selection excellent. I am used to describing myself as a limit player making the slow transition to NLHE. After this trip, I think the transition is near complete. I arrived in Las Vegas, Monday morning, July 1, for a two week stay. On this Sunday morning, July 14, as I wait for my flight home, I am up $3500, after playing daily in the 1-2, and 1-3 games at PH, Ballys, Bellagio, and briefly at the Monte Carlo, Caesars, MGM and Aria.

My initial trip to Vegas was the first week of July, 1983. Love at first sight. On my thirtieth anniversary visit, and my longest, I booked a 1 bdrm condo in a gated community, a couple blocks north of South Point, on S LV BLVD. $700 for the condo + $263 for a hardtop Mustang from EZ car rentals = Plus EV. The location was ideal, ten minutes up 15 to the Bellagio north valet. I walked from there. I will absolutely rent a condo/car for each extended trip in the future. I got excellent sleep, ate well, no mysterious crying children in the dead of morning, and the wifi worked.

For the first week of the trip, I was joined by my cousin, who stayed at the Bellagio with his son, and a friend of his, ( playing in the main event, who had already cashed in a LHE tourney), and my brother, arriving July 3, and staying at the MGM. My cousin is a poor poker player who enjoys donking off stacks in mid-level limit games at the Bellagio. The Bellagio has sent a limo to pick him up at the airport, and hosted him in the poker player's lounge. My brother is an accomplished lag, with generally excellent hand reading skills. A variance junky.
The light finally went on for me, this trip. Reading the Miller book, Playing the Player, was especially helpful. According to Miller, I am a NL nit. Or more correctly, I was a nit. Prior to this trip, I was one of those players unwilling to felt without the nuts. No more.

I am a strong limit player. In prior trips I have profited playing in the Bellagio 15-30 and 20-40. Especially true if my cousin is in the game :) (I will be one of the more aggressive players in your limit game. I am happiest and most comfortable in games where we are 6-7 bets deep entering the turn. Learn to read hands, or go broke, poker.) This trip I cleared a mental hurdle, and gained the understanding that in no limit, your stack is in play, every hand. Stack is a weapon, not a protectorate. I was all-in more often this trip, than all prior visits combined.

I was already up $1100, and playing in a game at the MGM, when my brother arrived, late in the evening of July 3. "How's the game?", first words out of his mouth when he caught up with me. "Like the underbelly of a baby panda," (quoting one of my favourite AVP posters). A young woman behind an enormous stack, glanced up at us from another table and grinned.

I don't understand why the MGM trashed their old poker room. It was ideal, and filled an important niche in Las Vegas. The new "room" is a disaster. We did not return.

We played most of our poker at PH. This is the new MGM. Would not surprise me if they need to expand soon. The vibe promotes loose gambly games. Matt cleaned up here, cashing out over a k, each of the three days we played.

Matt and I chased our first whale of the trip after a Ballys sighting. We were in a normal late night game when a fairly well-inebriated East Indian man sat in. He proceeded to donate in excess of a thousand dollars over the next few hours. He had no idea how to play. He did not even understand hand values. A river bet by this man was an auto-call. When the rest of the table realized the situation, we were seeing six and seven to the flop un-raised.

I cashed out when Matt went busto, his only run-bad of the week, went back to my condo, slept, got up, ate, showered, etc, returned to Ballys...and he was Still There!!! Sober now, but still playing poorly, he was still in full donation mode. I got the jesus seat (wat?), and started right in making friends. He did not recognize me from the night before, when I tortured him with one feather-light value bet after another. He had to go shortly after I arrived. Sigh.

However!!, later that afternoon at PH, who should turn up, wearing nike sweats and dark shades, Beluga!! “Brother” I shout out loud enough to summon Matt from his smoke break, and fist-bump my new best friend (no, in case there is any doubt, I have no shame). Beluga sits down two seats to my right ( I always keep Matt directly to my right ), and plays his normal game. We profit enormously. Alas, in the early evening, he leaves the game to meet with his wife, and see a show. Matt and I make plans to visit Ballys poker room later that night.

With Matt sitting on about $800, and we noticed that all four seats at the other end of the table had been filled by local pros who'd requested moves to our table. Beluga attracted quite a crowd, but now it seemed Matt was the target. OOOPS. Matt got lucky and felted one of them for $200, then put a hideous beat on the same pro a couple orbits later, when she raised out of the blind, and Matt called, then shoved over her c-bet on a 6 4 4 board. She snap-called and had his K6 crushed with KK. "Good read." she said. "Six!", Matt shouted. Dutifully, the dealer brought a 6 on the river. "Lucky you didn't call for a king. " Matt dragged another fat pot when he shoved and hit his OESD. Now sitting on over $1500, the scene at the table reminded me of Rounders, Mirage, Atlantic City, only this time things have gone horribly wrong for the locals.

It was at this point that one of the pros snapped. I am unclear why he suddenly got pissed at the dealer. They had words, then the player zipped his cards at the dealer's chest. One of the cards clipped the dealer's throat. Dealer called the floor. Player denied doing anything wrong, lied, said the dealer was over-reacting. No one at that end of the table backed the dealer's story. The floor did not consult our end of the table. I followed the floor to the main desk and explained what I saw. The player was lying, and the dealer had been hit by cards intentionally. Not sure what the fallout was, but that player wasn't seen again at PH the rest of the trip.

I played most of my hours at PH, and enjoyed almost all of them. I rarely found myself in a bad game. Floor was always happy to accomodate table change requests. The dealers are a strong group. Quiet, efficient, and knowledgeable. I also played every day at Ballys. Quieter than PH, mostly good games, and uniformly excellent dealers. Nina is a gem. I will put up with a lot of downside in a room, if the dealers are excellent.

The dealers at Bellagio remain a mixed bag. Janet is still there and she has always been one of my favourites. They should get her to train the new ones. Unfortunately, Mary ( the lefty ) is also still dealing this room. She is so sour, I have to leave the table during her downs.

Only spent one afternoon at the Aria, last Friday. Whilst waiting on a seat, I sat watching an OFC. I recognized Viffer, seated at the table, also watching the action. There were two asian men, a guy in an Orange Crush t-shirt, and a guy with a grey hoodie. They were playing huge. Several thousands per hand. I looked closer. That's Tom Dwan in the hoodie. I love Vegas during the WSOP. Later, another player told me that was Josh Ariel in the T, but I can't confirm that.

I am generally pleased with my play. I made needed adjustments to my game and I think they paid off. I did badly mis-play four hands, and that cost me an additional eleven hundred, so the results could have been much better.

I sat in three 2-5 games, and lost around $150...basically broke even. Only one of the games was loose, at PH. I twice tried the Bellagio 2-5, but the lack of action put me off. I watched a very competitive 5-10 at the Bellagio for about 40 minutes. I was impressed how fiercely each pot was contested.

I played a few hours late one evening at the WSOP. The action was good, but the dealing was very inconsistent. I didn't return.

Also played a few hours at Caesars after another excellent Mesa Grill meal. I visit the Grill at least once every visit. Nothing says, I'm gambling all night, like a coffee-rubbed fillet. Matt and I killed the game at Caesars, each cashing out over one k. First hand I get A7cc, raise to $18 from the cut-off, two callers, A, K, 9 board, two spades. One caller to my $30 cbet. 7 on the turn, check to me, I hesitate a moment, then announce all-in. $200 into a hundred and change pot. Villain only has about a stack left, reluctantly calls. River bricks. Villain re-buys, and is felted again a few hands later when Matt shoves over his cbet with a draw. Villain eyes our stacks and re-buys. The torture continues.

Matt left for home the next morning, and we agreed to meet up again same time next year.

In Miller's 'Playing the Player', he talks about plays that come into fashion, then disappear. One such, that I noticed during the first week, and which I adopted the second week to routine success; limp with a strong holding when expecting a late raise, call the raise, ...if flop is exceptionally kind, make a small bet, then make a large re-raise, or shove, depending, over the pfr's raise. I was called almost every time.

Very similar to another play Miller describes; making small turn or river bets into large pots with made hands vs. very aggressive players, which will sometimes trigger a spaz. Very opponent specific, but worked twice for me.

There is no feeling quite like pausing halfway over the bridge between Ballys and the Bellagio, at three in the morning, pockets stuffed with hundreds you've won playing poker.

Fifteen months between Vegas visits, my longest gap in years. I reluctantly depart, eager to be home with my very understanding and supportive wife, and plan to return shortly.